I would recommend using a proper F compression connector on the RG-6 and using an F to PL-259 adapter.

You can also buy BNC compression connectors and use a BNC to PL-259 adapter.

Some people have had luck soldering to RG-6 type coax. I don't even try. The F connectors are cheap and easy to install... I have a couple antennas fed with "RG-6 Quad Shield" type coax from Home Depot... works fine.

Thanks so much. Maybe I should ask a different question. I bought a DSW-40 for a great price on the classifieds. It powers up just great and now I want to (first) listen to and then eventually practice my morse (which I'm learning, slowly!) on the 40M band - making contacts with others.

I live in a 3rd floor apartment with a small balcony - I need to operate super stealth. And, soldering and wiring are not my thing - I'm a new ham with little budget and a very tight lease.

So, what would you suggest for a budget-conscious antenna? And then, what would I need - from start to finish - to attach it to my DSW-40. Yes, I know this is asking a lot...stealth, help, budget. Thanks in advance.

I would probably recommend adding those to your repertoire of skills over time.

"Effective, budget conscious 40m QRP apartment antenna" and "experimenting with home-brewed wire contraptions" are almost exactly the same thing ;-)

My honest opinion is that there's no such thing as a really good commercial apartment antenna under a couple hundred bucks, but if you do it yourself, you can build a good one for much less. Part of the problem is that if you want to operate 40m from a balcony antenna, you might actually want it to fit your balcony like a glove, to use AS MUCH of the possible space as you can.

I have a couple of questions...

Do you have apartments above you? I used to live on the third floor of a three floor apartment building?

My solution in a similar situation was to stack somefurniture on the balcony and climb up onto the roof at3AM to string a wire antenna. In my case I just tuckedit under the shingles and dropped an end down to aconvenient window where I could pull it in without anyonenoticing. Not the best solution for everyone, but itworked quite well in that apartment.

You should be able to plug a length of wire right into theback of the rig and copy plenty of 40m signals. Fortransmitting, a short slinky may be difficult to tune,but since you have it already you might as well try itand see for yourself.

One begs to ask the question, why on earth is one using RG6 which when I looked it up is 75 ohm coax when the normal average amateur uses RG 8 type of coax having 50 ohms imp? Or perhaps RG 8x aka mini 8 coax?

"Being a ham and trying to operate a station under adverse conditions requires ingenuity, knowledge and skill. "

Being a new ham and having to operate a station under adverse conditions should garner relatively unprejudiced support from those with knowledge and skill.

"If you intend to postpone learning the skills, even the very basic ones like soldering, then I suggest you postpone operating while you read, study and acquire the skills you need. "

I half agree with that. Getting a good antenna for a QRP 40m station going from a tiny balcony is probably the least plug and play thing I can think of to start out with. You could buy one of those MFJ apartment antennas, but it's going to be a relative waste of money. You could buy a Buddipole which would be better, but REAL expensive compared to something you could do yourself.

But you need to balance abstract skill acquisition with concrete skill acquisition. Pick an antenna that you think fits your budget. It might be something of a waste of money. But you can start listening with it, make some contacts, and it can be modified.

One of those MFJ apartment antennas is real short for 40m... but it has a coil and a cliplead that could be used on a long wire on a fishing pole at night for better 40m performance.

I want to be encouraging, KC9QEB but I really have to be honest. Most of the cheap apartment antennas that exist are not very good and the decent ones are very expensive (because convenience + performance demands a rather high price, apparently). That doesn't mean that a cheap one won't get you on the air. But it might be frustrating. I can't really in good conscience give you a particular recommendation on a good apartment antenna in the, say, $100 range because I just think they're all ripoffs. That doesn't mean you absolutely shouldn't go that way if that's what gets you on the air... but it does mean you'll get ripped off ;-) Go ahead and pick one, and then figure out something better later.

It's really a massively useful skill to have if you're an apartment dweller because as you learn you're going to quickly find that reliably joining a couple of wires is key. You're actually less likely to **need** to know how to solder if you build a $5,000 DX station with commercial gear including pre made cables than if you build a $300 apartment QRP station.

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